Bob's Foods:
 
KIBBLE: Yes, I actually use kibble as a basic food group.  I have a 20
gallon tub in my freezer filled with the stuff, but not a single brand.  I
pour in 2 gallons each of Totally Ferret, Science, Iams, Shepard and Greene,
and Excell cat food, as well as 1 gallon each of various high grades of
ferret and cat foods to fill the container.  I then mix it well, and when
serving it, I mix this kibble 1:1 with Zupreeme diet for carnivores (when I
have it).  I keep the kibble in the freezer to a) keep it fresh and free of
insects or molds, b) maintain the moisture content which can drop in dry
heat, and c) reduce odor.
 
WET (CANNED) FOODS: I use a variety of high grade wet cat foods (or ferret
foods when I can get them) and tend towards the high cost all-meat brands.
 
WET (CANNED) DOG FOODS: Once or twice a month, I serve a high grade dog
food as a special treat.
 
FISH: I usually give trout or salmon, but canned tuna is great.  They relish
the tuna-flavored spring water, and interestingly enough, the sick ferrets
like it as much as pedilyte.
 
CHICKEN: I give chicken baby food (creamed and chunky), canned chicken,
chicken backs, necks and wings, chicken hearts, livers and gizzards, chicken
bones, and any leftover chicken from my own dinners (Foster *LOVES* BBQ
chicken!) Also, I boil leftover bones and meat from whole fryers (or
turkey), fortify it with some chunks of liver and ground kibble, and serve
as a soup.  VERY popular!
 
BEEF: I make hamburger marbles, beef jerkey and beef in kibble gravy
(another favorite).  Beef liver is good chunked.
 
KIBBLE GRAVY: Use a cheap ($10-20) expresso coffee grinder to reduce kibble
to a fine power, and use it instead of flour to make gravy for seasoning
introduced foods.
 
SHELLFISH AND THE LIKE: All good, but these I almost always cook first.  I
also give them land snails from the garden, which are relished.  Shrimp and
crayfish are loved by almost all.
 
INSECTS AND THE LIKE: Cockroaches, water bugs, grasshoppers, crickets, and
worms are offered frequently, but usually only the abdomens of the harder
insects are eaten.
 
RAW CARCASSES: I buy frozen mice and rats, and sometimes obtain day old
chicks.  The frozen carcasses are thawed to room temperature before serving.
For the ferrets that won't eat a carcass, I just chunk it up, hair, hide and
toenails.  Yum!
 
BONE: This is an important part of my ferret's diet, and is usually chicken
or turkey bone.  Cow bones are licked and polished, but the bone is too
tough for the ferrets to get to the marrow.  Usually, I give the back and
neck because these bones don't splinter and because their fat and marrow
contebt are so high.  I do give chicken thigh-bones (femurs) as well as wing
bones.  The ferrets live for the cartilage ends of these bones.  Normally I
give them raw, but they also get many of the chicken bones when I am done
with dinner.
 
MILK PRODUCTS: I give *TINY* portions of cheese, and occasional sips of
milk as special and occasional treats.  I give a tablespoon of heavy cream
to each underweight ferret each day and normal weight ferrets can have a
teaspoon twice a week.
 
FRUIT: The ferts can have two 1/2 inch square pieces of fresh fruit or a
single piece of dried fruit a day.  Raisins are clearly preferred, but
apple, carnberry, blueberry, and watermelon are all loved.
 
EGG: Uncooked egg whites can cause anemia, so the only eggs my ferrets get
are scrambled (with bacon bits), or yolks left over from cooking.
 
SUPPLEMENTS: I give all the frozen rats and mice a kit will eat, as well as
plenty of chicken bone.  The better the nutrition of the growing kit, the
larger they will become (until they hit their genetic maximum).  With older
ferrets, I tend to drop the protein a bit, and increase the bone to help
offset neutering-induced osteoporosis.  Every other day, each ferret gets
either nutrical paste or a hair-ball remedy (it alternates), followed by a
drop of ferretone.  The older ferrets are given a sip of cranberry juice
daily.  I add Vitamin C to their water which helps to keep the water fresh
and the urine acidic.
 
BOBS NO-NOS: *NO* one is allowed to eat acidic citris fruits like lemon or
lime, and pinapple is kept to a minimum (etches the enamel on their teeth).
They cannot have for *any* reason pieces of carrots or other hard
vegetables, *even* if they beg for them.  Almost all candy is a no-no, but
I tend to give in on tiny pieces of chocolate.  No soda drinks, only tiny
sips of decaffinated coffee, and very limited cocoa.
 
BOBS BAD HABITS: Carbone *loves* cornnuts and I will let him have one on
occasion.  Bear adores pepperoni, and he usually will get a slice or two
when I have pizza.  Jezabell loves sunflower seeds, and will set on my lap
and eat them as I crack them.  Nosette loves cherrios and can beg them from
me even those they are all grain.  Moose *loves* coffee, and he usually
finishes the last sip from Elizabeth's cup (I hate coffee).  Apollo loves
mashed potatoes, and I let him have a small dollop, but never more than
once a week.  Amber cannot be pulled away from Taco Bell fiery sauce, so I
let her have a few licks off my finger.  I reluctantly admit most of the
ferrets can convince me to give them tiny bits of oreos.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Bobaholics
[Posted in FML issue 2334]